


View From the Heron Tower

by Felled_and_Fallen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Harem, F/M, Female Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2019-09-05 01:08:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16800664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felled_and_Fallen/pseuds/Felled_and_Fallen
Summary: 王之涣《登鹳雀楼》白日依山尽黄河入海流欲穷千里目更上一层楼The sun beyond the mountain glowsThe Yellow River seaward flowsYou can enjoy a grander sightBy climbing to a greater height“On The Heron Tower” – Wang Zhihuan





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is majorly influenced by the Chinese novels I've been reading by Yue Xia Die Ying. God bless novel translators. I've been wanting to write a Harry Potter Chinese harem fic for a while, so here is my attempt. The fic is NOT set in ancient China however. 
> 
> Will add more to the tags as fic goes on. 
> 
> Like everything I do, this is an over ambitious WIP. So fair warning. 
> 
> Also, please bear with the short chapters since this word count is easy for me to bust out. 
> 
> *IMPORTANT*
> 
> I'm using Chinese pinyin (and if I make mistakes plz don't come for me) because I feel it adds to the immersion. If I introduce a new term it will be italicized and I will add it to the end notes. You can ctrl+f to make things easier.

  
A grand procession of people could be seen parading down the street. They were all dressed in festive red and gold, the characters for good luck, wealth, and happiness stamped prominently on their clothing and the many chests they were carrying.

“Look at that dowry! Which family is sending their daughter off so extravagantly?”

“You didn’t know? Why it’s Potter _Hou Fu_!”

“Ah! It can’t be that they’ve finally found a match for Miss Gloria? Who is the lucky groom, to wed the most beautiful and talented daughter in the capital?”

An exasperated sigh. “No, you old geezer. It isn’t the second miss Potter but the first!”

“The first?”

“The _di_ daughter of James Potter and Lily Evans.”

At the mention of James Potter, the two men drew silent. The older man shook his head wearily, no longer quite as eager to gossip about the affairs of the noble families, but wanting to see his questioning through to end, he said, “This first miss hasn’t been seen in the capital for so long, I’d forgotten about her.”

“You and everyone else. Supposedly, the Potters had sent her to live with her maternal family all these years.”

The old man watched the Good Fortune Matron cry out lucky blessings and toss flower petals all along the street. “And now they’ve brought her back.”

“Brought her back-” the younger man leaned in, “to marry a _junwang_.”

The older man looked up in shock. “I didn’t think the Potters were so ambitious.”

“If they were marrying her to a _qinwang_ or even Ning junwang, maybe. But they are marrying her to Xian junwang.”

“The sixth prince - the one with the cursed reputation and no position in court? Why would the Potters waste their di daughter like this?”

“They had no choice. The emperor decreed the marriage.”

An extravagant bridal sedan passed by the two townspeople, followed by the last of the procession. They were headed to the gates of Xian _junwang fu_.

In the sedan, Harriet Potter, the first miss of Potter Marquis Fu, was stoically examining her nails. They had been filed, buffed, and then lacquered with a subtle pink. It was hard to believe that just days prior, these same nails had been filled with dirt and horse shit.

“Doesn’t it feel like a dream, Hedwig _mama_?” Harriet stared out the window, not so close as to expose her supposedly noble face to the masses, but close enough to peek at the bustling capital. Her bridal veil had been pushed aside slightly, though she didn’t dare remove it under Hedwig’s golden glare.

“They would have brought you back eventually. Your name is still Potter after all, no matter how much they wish it wasn’t so,” said her nursemaid. Hedwig was much older than her sixteen year old charge and the prematurely white hair coupled with her talon like grip only served to reinforce her matron-like qualities.

“And I’ll soon shed that name for a title.” Harriet tested the name _junwang fei_ and didn’t know if she liked the sound.

Arriving at Xian junwang fu, Harriet stepped off the sedan and was soon placed onto someone’s back to be carried into the prince’s estate. She was surprised to find it wasn’t the joy matron who was carrying her, but a male. It was only when the man spoke did she realize this wasn’t some random manservant but her husband-to-be.

“Wife, we are entering the door.”

The voice was a smooth baritone, very pleasing to the ear.

Harriet didn’t say a word, just nodded her cheek against his shoulder.

Xian Junwang was his title but his given name was Tom, she remembered. The sixth and youngest prince at age twenty, he was like all his brothers, incredibly handsome. Even though his maternal family was exiled by the emperor and his mother had given birth to him while confined in the cold palace, he still drew many admirers for his gorgeous face and perfect manners alone.

Entering the gates of the junwang fu, Tom put her down and took the red ribbon from the joy attendant. One end was tightly held in his hand, the other was held by Harriet. He then carefully guided her to walk in.

They passed through many doors and corridors, receiving well wishes everywhere they went. Underneath the veil, Harriet’s expression was completely unreadable.

Walking into the main hall to bow to the world, she decided to throw away her misgivings. As they waited for a messenger to finish reciting the Emperor’s congratulations speech, she could only think that marrying Tom and entering the snake pit that is the imperial family couldn’t be as bad as living with the Dursleys. The ceremony continued as they kneeled to the heaven and earth and bowed three times. They then moved to kneel to a set of empty chairs on a dais meant to represent their parents. Harriet thought it was ironic for them to complete the gesture when neither of their parents were present – her parents and his mother no longer among the living and his father not bothering to honor an unfavored son. Nevertheless they bowed three times to their absent parents before they turned to each other as husband and wife, kneeled, and gave the final three bows.

After completing the ceremony, the Good Fortune Matron escorted Harriet to the marriage chambers so she could rest and wait for her husband. He would be receiving the guests’ congratulations and celebrating until the well wishers left.

The only people in the marriage chambers were Harriet, her nursemaid Hedwig, and the three servant girls the Potter Hou Fu had sent as dowry. It had only been her and Hedwig for so long that she didn't quite know what to do with them yet. The idea that the Dursleys would have ever provided her with handmaids was laughable. But it was just like the Potter family to send her servants to manage like a noble miss only after they had spent the greater part of her life refusing to give her a lady’s education.

Nothing could stand before Imperial might.

That was the difference imperial favor made. With it, a neglected daughter could marry into the Imperial house. Without it, who knew when the Potter hou fu would have let her out to see the light of day?

A joy attendant suddenly announced Xian junwang’s arrival.

Harriet's spine straightened and hidden in the sleeves of her bridal phoenix cape, her hands clenched unconsciously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hou Fu - "Hou" is the Chinese equivalent of a Marquis. "Fu" is basically a family compound, estate, noble house, etc. So Potter Hou Fu = House of Potter and in this case the Potter family has a Marquis title.
> 
> di - born of the legitimate wife. In ancient Chinese harem culture there is always a main wife and a number of concubines with descending ranks. In regular families, usually only children born of the legitimate wife stand to inherit. The imperial family is the exception since there is always fighting over succession rights.
> 
> qinwang and junwang - Wang can be either a prince or a king, but they are always subject to the emperor. Qinwang is first rank wang and is usually reserved for those directly descended from the emperor, like a son. Junwang is a second rank wang. All titles can be bestowed by the emperor so theoretically the emperor can choose to bestow a qinwang title on a random male of the Imperial family (a.k.a. someone who is not a son) and not bestow a title (a.k.a. have a non favored son be a junwang instead of a qinwang like Tom is here)
> 
> Ning junwang and Xian junwang - Ning and Xian are just personal titles that are subordinate to the main title junwang, usually meant to show the emperor's favor/ differentiate. They have meanings in Chinese but I honestly chose these arbitrarily so please don't @ me
> 
> junwang fu - household of the junwang, usually bestowed by emperor when the wang receives his title
> 
> mama - old female servant
> 
> Junwang Fei - the wife of a junwang. Wife of a qinwang would just be called wang fei just like how a qinwang would be called wang when shortened
> 
> *Cultural stuff*
> 
> Sooo Chinese weddings are different from western weddings.
> 
> If you've ever seen a Chinese drama, you get the gist. There are some similarities like how the bride's family offers a dowry and the groom's family offers betrothal gifts. But in Chinese weddings the family literally gives their daughter to the groom and he picks her up in a bridal sedan to take her home. There is usually a procession with a lot of fanfare. There's usually a Good Fortune Matron and joy attendants who make sure the wedding goes well so that the two have a lucky and prosperous married life. The bride wears a red phoenix cape and veil that will only be taken off by her husband in the marriage chambers as a part of the wedding night snoo snoo.
> 
> TL;DR this fic is A LOT of Chinese terms and cultural references but it's all part of the fun, yeah? /watches readers run for the hills
> 
> If you got through this endnote, you the real MVP.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the positive response to this idea! 
> 
> Those of you who see any discrepancies or cultural inaccuracies, feel free to point them out to me. As I've said before, I'm using ancient Chinese culture as inspiration, but this verse is definitely an alternative universe. That being said though, I'm still using many terms and concepts and I'm bound to trip up somewhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> This chapter contains an explicit sex scene. I'll have it marked clearly in the text if you want to skip.

“Junwang, please remove her veil,” said the beaming joy attendant as she handed Tom the _joystick_.

Tom approached the girl sitting on the canopied bed. Lifting the edges of the red veil with the joystick, he flipped it back to reveal the face of his bride. 

She stared up at him with almond shaped green eyes, obscured by a fan of thick lashes. Her clear skin was just a few shades too dark for the beauty standards of the Slytherin Empire and her long black hair was pinned elaborately underneath a phoenix crown. Her strong brows and determined jaw resembled that of the old Potter Marquis, Tom mused, but they suited her. It gave the rest of her young, delicate features some character.

If he remembered correctly, the daughter of Potter Hou Fu’s first branch was sixteen years old this year. 

The joy attendants gave the couple their blessings and offered their final congratulations before leaving with the few female elders of the Imperial House that had come to give Xian Junwang some face.

Next to the canopied bed was a table with a pitcher of wine and two cups. Tom sat next to Harriet and offered her one. “Drink with me Harriet, and let us celebrate the day of our great joy.”

Harriet smiled as she crossed her arm with his and they both drank to the bottom of their cups. Her lips left a red imprint on the rim of the jade.

Tom instructed a few servants to bring food, something light and easy to digest for Harriet since she hadn’t eaten all day. The other servants took this cue and went to guard the door, leaving the newlywed couple alone.

When Tom turned back to Harriet, he saw that she had removed her phoenix crown and was stretching her neck with a grimace. He reached out. The girl tensed at the unfamiliar touch but allowed him to press his thumbs in and massage the base of her neck in slow circles.

“It must have been very tiring for you,” he commented.

Placing a hand on top of his, she stilled his movements before moving away slightly. “It wasn’t unbearable.” She smiled. “One day of hardship in exchange for a lifetime of happiness is an easy price to pay.”

What information he had gathered about the first Potter heiress did not mention she had such a glib tongue.

He held her chin with his hand and felt her waver. She wasn’t as confident as she seemed. “I’m glad you think so,” he said softly, before leaning in for a kiss.

It was a brief and dry press of the lips, but Harriet stood frozen.

Tom released her with a chuckle. 

-

The servants came back bearing a bowl of lotus root and pork soup, a plate of stir fried mustard greens, tofu, and mushrooms, and a small dish of steamed pears stuffed with honey and jujubes.

Harriet stared at the gleaming porcelain dishes set before her, each bearing foods made with more skill and quality ingredients than she’d ever had the luxury of eating before, and felt her eyes grow a bit moist. A servant ladled the soup out into a bowl painted with a pattern of _morning glories_ , each vividly blue trumpet flower facing each other and framed by curling tendrils and leaves. She traced the petals of the flower unconsciously before catching Tom’s gaze and dipping her spoon into the soup. 

“Send a list of your preferences to the kitchen. Our junwang fu may be humble but our chefs are all trained by the palace.” Tom took a pair of chopsticks from a _taijian_ and picked a few vegetables to put on Harriet’s plate.

Harriet hummed in agreement, lost in the taste of the savory broth. Seeing Tom acting so considerately towards her made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t understand why Tom was willing to treat her so well.

Potter _Hou Fu_ had a hereditary marquis title but the recent generations weren’t strong in the military nor did they enjoy a scholarly reputation. The current Marquis Potter, her uncle Charlus, and his family were popular in the capital, but Jing was filled with noble families like the Potters. Unless they made an influential match or the newest generation become promising officials, Potter Hou Fu would remain a small fish in a big pond.

Not to mention that while she may be a _di_ daughter of the first branch, that didn’t amount to much with her father and mother both dead. Her father had been the previous heir to the Marquis title but both he and his wife had died early due to a hunting accident, much to the old Marquis’ regret. That is why the title of Marquis had been passed onto that of the second son, Charlus.

Her maternal family wasn’t nobility but ordinary officials. The only one of note being Harriet’s maternal grandfather, who had enjoyed much fame as he had been the Grand Tutor of many princes. As he grew older, he decided to retire peacefully in the countryside, away from court politics. For a man of his time, he was very loyal to his wife even though she had only birthed two daughters for him rather late in life. He eventually adopted a nephew to continue the Evans’ main branch. He and his wife only lived long enough to see both of their daughters marry, one to the son of a wealthy merchant family and one to the heir of a Marquis title.

Considering how insignificant her paternal and maternal relations were to current politics and how tenuous her connections to them, as she had been fostered by her Aunt Petunia and the Dursleys for most of her life, Harriet was even more mystified as to what use she could be to Tom. She didn’t know who in the palace had whispered in the Emperor’s ear, for him to bestow such a match onto his son, but she knew they hardly had the sixth prince’s best interests in mind.

-

After the meal was over and the servants had all left, Tom and Harriet retired to bed. For as brave as she was trying to appear, Tom could feel her heart beat as wildly as a bird’s. He was gentle, coaxing her slowly with deep kisses that made her melt in his embrace until she was all but boneless, long hair splayed against the embroidered pillows and eyes glazed over, chest heaving. 

**~*~*~*~*start of explicit scene*~*~*~***

Reaching over to lace their fingers together, he whispered, “Ready?”

She nodded, swollen lips between her teeth, and gave his fingers a tight squeeze.

Tom entered her with a deep thrust, causing her to cry out. He paused for her to adjust, watching as she grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut in pain. About to give her some more reassuring words, he was surprised when a sliver of pure green met his gaze determinedly. 

“Continue,” she gasped. 

Unconsciously smiling, he did as she bid and continued his thrust until he was buried to the hilt. She gasped again, her muscles tense as a string about to snap. Stroking her sides as if gentling a horse, he asked, “My brave darling, can you bear it?” 

Raising her legs to brace against his hips, she panted, “I can.”

The movement squeezed his member so exquisitely, his eyelids fluttered. He didn’t hesitate then, his blood racing despite himself. He pulled out and plunged back in, going faster and faster as he went. He could feel her cry out again at the onslaught but he wasn’t able to stop this time. He was chasing the rapidly building pleasure. He only noticed when her arms started to wrap against his neck and pulled him down. He gave her a burning kiss in return, lips pressing harder and uncaring of teeth. Losing himself in consuming her, he was surprised when the wet heat that surrounded him started spasming and tightening. 

He broke the kiss with a hoarse laugh. “You just want to make me lose control completely, is that it?” He pulled out with a squelching plop.

“Ahh, milord-” Her arms scrambled to pull him back. A flush started from her heaving chest, up her graceful neck, to paint her cheeks like a blooming rose. There were tears glistening on her trembling lashes. 

“What is it, my dear?” He let her draw him closer, his lips pressing against the peak of a tempting breast. 

“Ah!” 

He laved the rosy nipple with his tongue before sucking hard and he felt her shake all the more. Her head thrashed from side to side and he could hear her beg him to stop, even as her hands trapped his head against her chest. 

Her cries were so sweet that Tom didn’t want to stop, but he couldn’t bear the teasing any longer himself. His member was weeping steadily now. “Tell me what you want, Harriet,” he said, his lips releasing her swollen nipple with a pop. 

The girl was so lost in her need that all she could do was cant her hips up. But the sight of her gaping entrance, still wet with him, was enough to drive him crazy. 

With no more patience left to torture the girl any further, he slammed back in. The girl cried out again, this time in ecstasy, and the two developed a push and pull motion where every time he would pull out, she would pull him back, both loathe to lose the sensation of him inside her. 

Harriet’s insides were squeezing him ever tighter now, but sporadically, until suddenly she tensed all over again, her nails biting into his shoulders. It was an agonizing moment before she fell limp against the bed. Tom rode through the lingering spasms but the pleasure soon became too much and he came as well, releasing in a hot gush. 

He pulled out gingerly and watched her shudder. Her legs tried to close but the winking of her dripping sex mesmerized him and he pushed one of her legs out of the way to get a closer look.

**~*~*~*~*end of explicit scene*~*~*~***

She kicked at his shoulder. “Tom, enough!” Her blushing face looked both fierce and extremely fetching. “Have some shame.”

He pressed a kiss to a dainty foot. “You make me entirely shameless, darling.” But he knew he had tested the limit of his new wife’s patience enough this night. 

He had the servants bring in a tub of hot water and towels and they bathed each other leisurely. Harriet seemed much less tentative with him now, at least physically, her actions bolder and more intimate. 

Entwined together on the bed, she dropped off immediately, exhausted. Staring at the girl – no, the young woman – with her cheek against his shoulder, he felt much better about the marriage than he thought he would.

He knew that there was no chance that his father would bestow an advantageous match to him, the son he cared least for. 

His mother, Merope Gaunt, was only able to enter the Imperial Harem because the Empress Dowager had wanted to reunite both lines of Slytherin. Long ago, when Salazar Slytherin had founded the Slytherin Empire, he had split his line between his son and his daughter. The Gaunts were the last of the maternal line. His mother hadn’t been favored often but she had bore the emperor one son, Rin, his older brother and fifth prince. The Gaunt family took advantage of their status as imperial relatives, however. They consorted with corrupt officials and committed such violent crimes against the people, that the court begged the Emperor to serve justice. 

His grandfather and uncle were executed and his mother sent to the _cold palace_ . Rin was given to the Empress to raise. Unexpectedly, his mother was found to be pregnant with the sixth prince and ended up giving birth to him while in disgrace. Dying in childbirth, she left him with nothing and no one. As the Empress already had to raise two children not of her blood, first prince Nagi and fifth prince Rin, Tom was given to _guipin_ Myrtle Warren to raise. Guipin Myrtle drowned when Tom was ten and a cursed reputation has followed him ever since.

It was lucky that his title as a prince ensured he wasn’t treated too unjustly, at least on the surface, but the difference between he and his brothers was still keenly felt. 

His father and the powers vying for the throne obviously believed this marriage would only further dampen his influence.

Leaving the bed quietly, he stepped into his private study.

“Barty,” he called. 

A masked man dressed entirely in black jumped down from the rafters and bent one knee. “Junwang,” he saluted.

“What have you discovered?”

“It is as you suspected. There is more to the deaths of James and Lily Potter than was reported. It was the doing of Charlus Potter and his then betrothed, Dorea Black.”

Tom nodded to himself. The Blacks were a powerful ducal family with many children, all with connections to the noble elite. One of their daughters was even the _wangfei_ of the second prince. It made sense that Charlus and his proud wife were not content to let the Marquis title go to his brother. “And what of her treatment at the Dursleys?” 

Barty’s voice was grim. “Worse than that of the poorest servant in the palace.”

Recalling the determined spark in those green eyes, Tom was thankful that his wife wasn’t the downtrodden, timid thing he expected her to be. But he was surprised by the simmering rage he felt at Barty’s words. 

“Gather more evidence about the deaths of the previous Marquis heir,” he said finally. “And that of _junwang fei_ ’s mistreatment.” 

“Understood.” 

It was fitting, he thought, that his wife should be just like him. One who was born to suppress others but who had their birthright wrongfully taken from them. 

Returning to bed, he gathered his slumbering wife into his arms and went to sleep, the wheels in his mind ever turning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> joy stick: joy measure, a stick used to lift the veil in a marriage ceremony
> 
> taijian: eunuchs employed by the imperial family and holding an official position or specific positions in the court, palace, or government that were occupied by men who were castrated
> 
> morning glories: a flower motif that is a symbol of marital bliss
> 
> hereditary title: titles can be hereditary and passed down throughout the generations without declining or they can be non-hereditary and decline with each generation
> 
> for ex: a marquis becoming an earl when the title declines; the family and the estate would have to have property, objects, attire, and service matching their new status. this can sometimes mean closing off part of the compound or reducing the number of servants
> 
> official: a position gained through passing imperial examinations or through connections. for common families without a noble title that is the only way for them to raise their status. but even noble families would have to undergo examinations and place well if they wanted to have a good position at court
> 
> they work their way through nine ranks, nine being lowest and one being highest. there are three types of examinations: local, provincial, and capital. passing the local exam earns you the title of shengyuan (licentiate), provincial the title of juren (raised person), and the capital exam the title of jinshi (presented scholar)
> 
> Empress Dowager: mother of the emperor. 
> 
> remember though that children born of consorts or concubines must call the legal wife 'mother.' so in cases where the prince who gets the throne is not born of the empress, the empress becomes Empress Dowager, with her title being Mu Hou Huang Tai Hou and the prince's consort mother becomes Empress Dowager, but with a lesser title.
> 
> cold palace: a place in the imperial harem for consorts to go when they have fallen out of favor
> 
> guipin: mid-rank in the imperial harem
> 
> Harem hierarchy  
> Empress (huanghou)  
> Honored Imperial Consort (huang guifei)  
> Noble Consort (guifei)  
> Pure Consort (shufei)  
> Virtuous Consort (defei)  
> Able Consort (xiangfei)  
> Consort (fei)  
> Honored Concubine (guipin)  
> Concubine (pin)  
> Lady of Bright Comportment (zhaoyi)  
> Lady of Handsome Fairness (jieyu)  
> Lady of Lovely Countenance (ronghua)  
> Lady of Excellent Employment (liangdi)  
> Beautiful Lady (meiren)  
> Talented Lady (cairen)
> 
> wangfei and juwang fei: refer to first chapter


End file.
